Independence Day!

Tuesday, July 4, is of course Independence Day. I hope you have a good holiday weekend — and that it lasts for four days! Next week we will get back to grammar, but this week is the annual Independence Day post. Here are some quotes about topics we are reminded of on July 4. I hope some of these quotes will resonate with you, and that you can find comfort in some of them as well.

Independence

“Those who won our independence… valued liberty as an end and as a means. They believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty.” Louis D. Brandeis

“In America we have a Declaration of Independence, but our history, our advancements, our global strength all point to an American declaration of interdependence.” Cory Booker

“The bedrock of our democracy is the rule of law and that means we have to have an independent judiciary, judges who can make decisions independent of the political winds that are blowing.” Caroline Kennedy

“Men say they love independence in a woman, but they don’t waste a second demolishing it brick by brick.” Candice Bergen

“There is no more independence in politics than there is in jail.” Will Rogers

“Without moral and intellectual independence, there is no anchor for national independence.” David Ben-Gurion

“Freedom of religion is a principle that is central to our Nation’s Declaration of Independence. Congress has taken this positive step to protect our freedom to express allegiance to America’s flag and the ideals it represents.” Ron Lewis

“The independence of the United States is not only more precious to ourselves but to the world than any single possession.” Henry Cabot Lodge

Patriotism

“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” John F. Kennedy

“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. ” John F. Kennedy

“The history of liberty is the history of resistance. The history of liberty is a history of the limitation of governmental power, not the increase of it.” Woodrow Wilson

“Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.” Mark Twain“Patriotism is love of country. But you can’t love your country without loving your countrymen and countrywomen. We don’t always have to agree, but we must empower each other, we must find the common ground; we must build bridges across our differences to pursue the common good.” Cory Booker

“Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong.” James Bryce

‘It is our conduct, our patriotism and belief in our American way of life, our courage that will win the final battle.” Prescott Bush

“True patriotism hates injustice in its own land more than anywhere else.” Clarence Darrow

“Fighting corruption is not just good governance. It’s self-defense. It’s patriotism.” Joe Biden

“Real patriotism is a willingness to challenge the government when it’s wrong.” Ron Paul

America

“America’s greatest strength, and its greatest weakness, is our belief in second chances, our belief that we can always start over, that things can be made better.” Anthony Walton

“There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.” Bill Clinton

“America has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests and teach us what it means to be citizens.” George W. Bush

“The business of America is not business. Neither is it war. The business of America is justice and securing the blessings of liberty.” George F. Will

“I’m not going to quit. Why should I quit? This country is worth fighting for.” Hillary Rodham Clinton

“I believe America’s best days are ahead of us because I believe that the future belongs to freedom, not to fear.”John Kerry

“Either the United States will destroy ignorance or ignorance will destroy the United States.” W.E.B. Du Bois

Freedom

“Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed — else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die .” Dwight D. Eisenhower

“Here is my advice as we begin the century that will lead to 2081. First, guard the freedom of ideas at all costs. Be alert that dictators have always played on the natural human tendency to blame others and to oversimplify. And don’t regard yourself as a guardian of freedom unless you respect and preserve the rights of people you disagree with to free, public, unhampered expression.” Gerard K. O’Neill

“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.” Thomas Paine

“We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it.” William Faulkner

“The contest for ages has been to rescue liberty from the grasp of executive power.” Daniel Webster

Independence Day

“The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival…. with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore. You will think me transported with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration and support and defend these States. Yet, through all the gloom, I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory.” John Adams

The United States is the only country with a known birthday. All the rest began, they know not when, and grew into power, they know not how…. There is no “Republican,” no “Democrat,” on the Fourth of July — all are Americans.

James Gillespie Blaine

Thank you to these three websites for the quotes! Great websites to check out for a quote.

This was a great blog, Arlene.
I think John Adams had made one teeny error. “.. from one end of this continent to the other, …”
I don’t think Canada celebrates when we do.
No matter. Have a safe and pleasant holiday.
pam

Many times we talk about grammar in terms of writing. This blog post is about speaking. We don’t need to worry about punctuation when we speak, but we do have to worry about grammar—and pronunciation (which we don’t have to worry about when we write).

A while ago, one of my readers asked me to write a post about my life as a self-publisher. However, before I became a self-publisher (or “indie” publisher, as we like to call it), I was a writer for a very long time. I think most people who write have been writing for most of their lives.